Switch-operating device.



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P-summon' FILED 00121, '1902.

H0 MODEL.

No. 718,364.. PATBNTBD JAN. 13.1903;

v J. P. LOWE.

SWITCH -OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLIOATVION FILED 00T. 1, 1902.v

2 SHEETS-SHEETy 2.

I0 HODEL.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH PAXTON LOWE, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTO.

SWITCH-OPERATING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,364, dated J' anuaryvl 3, 1903.

Application filed October 1,1902.

To all whom, t may concern: n

Be it known that I, JOSEPE PAxToN Lows, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Switch-Operating Device,of which the following is a specification. v

This invention relates to switch-operating devices; and it has for its object to provide a device of this class which shall be capable of being operated'from the platform or, if preferred, from the interior of a car while the latter is in motion andwh'ich shall operate with certainty and ease tothrow the switch in the required direction.

My inventionconsists in a suitablysupported switch-operatiug bar having a flat blade adapted to enter betweenthe switch and the adjacent rail, means being provided for lowering the said operating-bar from its normal raised position to cause the dat blade thereof to enter between the switch and the adjacent rail, and means being further provided for imparting to the said operating-bar a quarter-twist, whereby the switch shall effectively be thrown in the desired direction, means being also provided for restoring the operating-bar to its normal position after the switch has been drawn.

Specifically, the invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a device constructed in accordance with my invention,the same being disposed upon the platform of a motor-car, only a small portion of the platform being shown. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view with dotted lines showing the operating-bar in a lowered position, the position being that occupied by said bar after the switch has been thrown. Fig. 3 is a top plan View showing the device in its normal position. Figs. 4, 5, and V6 are detail views illustrating the link connection between the operating-lever and the operating-Darin the' different positions occupied relatively when the device'is in its normal position or at rest after the lowering of the operating-bar and Serial No. 1 2 5, 5 3 6. (No model.)

after the latter has been twisted to throw the switch.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by similar characters of reference.

The box or casing of my improved switchoperating device, which is designated 1, has a base-.plate 2, whereby it is mounted pivotally, by means of a bolt or pin 3, upon the top plate i of a standard 5, having a base-flange whereby it is supported, preferably upon the platform of a car, in such a-position as to be convenient to the motorman or operator.

The box or casing 1 may be open at its rear end, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and it has a lid 7, which is hingedly connected with the upper front end of the casing, as shown at 8. Springs 9 and 10 are secured, respectively, to the under side of the lid and to the upper side of the bottom of the casing, said springs being extended through the open rea'r end and connected by means of a link 11, the tendency of said springs being to hold the lid 7 of the casing normally in a closed position. The rear end ofthe casing might obviously be closed or extended so as to inclose the link and the rear ends of the springs; but this is not considered necessary.

A shaft 12, journaled in the sides of the box or casing, is extended at one end and provided with avhand-lever 13, whereby it may be partially rotated in its bearings. Said shaft carries within the casing a cam 14, at

Vthe outer edge of which'rollers 15 are journaled, as vclearly shown in Fig. 2. The under side of the lid 7 is provided with wedgeshapved cams 15, having abrupt front ends 17, normally engaged by the rollers 15, directly in rear of which the widest portions 18 of said wedges are disposed and from whence they incline gradually in a rearward direction. It is obvious that when the lever 13 is thrown to move the cam in an upward direction the rollers 15 will suddenly and actively engage the abrupt ends of the cams 16, thereby tilting the lid 7 of the box to the position Vindicated in dotted lin'es in Fig. 2.

Suitably secured to the upper side of the hinged lid 7 and extending forwardly 'from the same is an arm or bracket 20, carrying at its outer end a sleeve 2l, forming a bearing IOO for the operating-bar 22. The latter is contained in said sleeve or bearing by means of a transverse pin or key 23. Said operatingbar is also provided, at a point a short distance below its bearing, with an annular flange forming a shoulder 24. The lower end of the operating-bar is flattened to form a spade-like blade 25, provided, preferably, with a curved edge 20. The point or blade 25 should be sufficiently wide so that when said blade enters between the switch and the adjacent rail and a quarter-twist is imparted to the bar the said blade shall be suf ciently wide to shift the position of the switch and cause it to lie contiguous to the opposite rail. The lever 13 is connected with the rear end of the connecting-rod 26', the front end of which is provided with a horizontally-bifurcated yoke or clevis 27, which is bent in the direction of the operating-bar and provided with a slot 2S. The operating-bar is provided with a forwardly-extending arm 29, bent in the direction of the connecting-rod 26 and having a slot 30, which normally lies in alinement with the slot 2S of the yoke or clevis 27, as will be clearly seen in Figs. 3 and i of the drawings. A pin 3l extends through the slots 2S and 30, thus connecting the yoke or clevis 27 with the arm 29, which is disposed between the arms of said yoke. The operating-bar 22, it will be seen, may turn freely in the sleeve 2l, which forms a bearing for the same; butin order to cause sufficient frictional resistance to prevent the said bar from being turned by accidental causes a spring 32, bearing against the under side of the sleeve 2l, is coiled upon the bar 22 in such a man ner as to press downwardly against the arm 29, a washer 33 being interposed, if preferred.

The base-flange 6 of the standard 5 supports an upwardly-extending spring or lever 34, which extends through a slot 35 in the plate 4E and is adapted to engage one of a pair of notches 36 in the bottom plate of the casingl l. The latter, as already described, is connected pivotally with the plate 4: and may when the lever 3a is released be swung upon its pivot to a limited extent until the lever 34 engages the other slot. To further regulate the limit of the movement, a pin 37 is provided, which engages a perforation in the bottom plate 2 and extends through a slot 3S in the plate 4t, thereby limiting the extent of the pivotal movement of the box or casing. The exteutof this movement should be merely sufiicient to enable the casing, with its related parts, to be so shifted as to enable the operating-bar 22 to engage on either side of the switch, thus enabling the latter to be thrown in either direction.

The operation of this invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description,.taken in connection with the drawings hereto annexed. When the car equipped with my improved switch-operating device approaches a switch, the casing is beforehand adjusted according to the direction in which the switch is pointed, provided, of course, that it is necessary to change the position of the switch. As the latter is approached the car is slowed up, but not necessarily stopped. At the proper moment the lever 13 is thrown in a rearward direction, thus causing the rollers 15 of the cam 14 to suddenly and swiftly engage the abrupt ends of the camwedges 1 3, thus tilting the lid 7 of the casing to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, except that the blade 25 still occupies its initial position, as shown in full lines in said figure. This downward movement of the operating-bar is accomplished entirely by the actionof the cam 14 engaging the lid of the box. While it is true that the operating-bar has been lowered to engage the switch, it has not yet been turned, the slots 2S and 30 giving sufficient latitude to the play of the lever 13 to prevent the operating-bar from being partially rotated up to the present point. The clevis 27 and the arm 29 now occupy their relative positions shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. When this point has been reached, a continued strain upon the lever 13 will cause the connecting pin or bolt 3l to engage the inner end of the slot 30 in the arm 29, which extends radially from the axis of the operating-bar. The latter under this iniiuence will receive a one-quarter turn, which brings the blade at the lower end of said operating-bar to the precise position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, when the switch will be thrown in the proper direction. When the lever is released, with a slight push in a forward direction the action of the springs 9 and 10 will instantly restore the parts to their normal or initial position. The final position occupied by the clevis 27 and arm 29 after the operating-bar has been turned is illustrated in Fig. of the drawings. I desire here to note that the lever 13 is preferably extended through a slot 40 in the lid 7 of the casing, this serving to limit the throw of the lever and also to prevent the upper end of the latter from being displaced laterally by any accidental strain.

I have in the foregoing described a preferred construction of my invention; but I desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself as regards the details of the same, but reserve the right to any changes, alterations, and modifications which may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention or sacrificing the utility of the same.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a device of the class described, a hinged supporting member having a bracket, a bar journaled in said bracket and having a spreader at its lower end, a shaft having a cam engaging the hinged supporting member to tilt the latter, an operating-lever upon the IOS IIO

shaft, and a link-rod connecting said lever with a slotted arm extending from the operating-bar.

2. In a device of the class described, a casing, a lid hinged thereto, a bracket extending from said casing, an operating-bar journaled at the outer end of said bracket, a shaft journaled transversely of the casing, a cam upon said shaft engaging the under side of the lid, and an operating-lever upon said shaft.

3. In a device of the class described, a box or casing, a lid hinged thereto and having a forwardly-extending bracket carrying an operating-bar, means Within the casing for tilting the lid, rearward-extending springs se-' cured to the bottom and the lid of the casing, and a link connecting the rear ends of said springs.

4. In a device of the class described, a casing, a lid hinged thereto and havinga forwardly-extending bracket carrying an operating-bar, wedge-cams upon the under side of the lid, spring means connected with the bottom of the casing and the lid to force the latter shut, a shaft mounted transverselyin the casing, a cam upon said shaft having rollers engaging the wedge-cams upon the lid, and

an operating-lever upon the shaft.

5. A device of the class described, comprising supporting means, a casing mounted pivotally thereon, and containing operating mechanism, a switch-operating bar connected with and supported by said casing, a springlever adapted to engage notches in the baseplate of said casing, and means for limiting the pivotal movement of the latter.

6. In a device of the class described, a casing having a tilting lid, a bracket connected with said lid, an operating-bar journaled at the outer end of said bracket, and having a blade or spreader at its lower end, an operating-lever, a connecting-rod terminating in a yoke, longitudinal slots, an arm extending from the operating-bar between the arms of the yoke and having` a corresponding slot and a pin extending through said slots and thereby connecting the yoke with thearm.

7. In a device of/ the class described, a casing having a tilting lid, a bracket extending from said lid, and carrying a rotatable operating-bar, a shaft mounted transversely in the casing and carryingl means whereby the tilting of the lid may be effected, an operating-lever on said shaft, and connecting means between said lever and the operating-bar, whereby, by the continued movement of the lever, in'the direction required to tilt the lid of the casing, the operating-bar, thereby carried from its normal to a lowered position, shall be partially rotated.

8. In a device of the class described, a casing having a tilting lid, a bracket extending from said lid, a rotatable operating-bar carried by said bracket, and friction means for retardin g the rotation of said bar.

9.y In a device of the class described, a tilting box-lid carrying an operating-bar vertically movable by the tilting of said lid, an operating-lever mounted upon a shaft having means to engage and operate the tilting lid, and a connection between said lever and the operating-bar, whereby said 4lever may be partially thrown. without affecting theposition of the bar and whereby a continued movement of the lever shall cause a partial rotation of the bar.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH PAXTON LOWE. 

